A schoolgirl suffered head injuries when she was knocked down on a busy road.

The 15-year-old was hurt when she was hit by the silver Hyundai on Whickham Highway, Gateshead, opposite Dunston Hill Hospital, at around 8.30am yesterday.

She was taken to Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital but later released.

Witnesses said the car was not speeding and police were not blaming the driver for the accident.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 8.33am, which locals say is a busy time on the road as people make their way to work and school.

Angela Hogson, 30, of Dunston, was walking her dog when approached the scene and saw several police cars and an ambulance.

The carer said: “There was a few police cars and an ambulance, I’ve just walked past it.

“Dog walkers often come along this road. It’s always busy. It’s a nightmare to cross, the cars travel so fast along here and something needs to be done. There are often kids walking near to the road. It’s a death trap.”

Residents living close to the road said safety improvements need to be put in place and that speed cameras should be installed. Previously, mum-of-two Angela Harrison, who lives on Mansion Heights, launched a petition to get a island put in the middle of the road to make it safer for schoolchildren crossing the road.

She said a lot of children from the estate cross the road to get to the bus stop on the other side.

She said: “It’s a nightmare for the children to get across the road. It’s a worry for parents living on the estate. When we first moved in we launched a petition to have an island put in the middle of the road to make it safer and for the cars to slow down.

“The traffic is really busy along the road and when it’s not congested the cars drive really fast.”

More than 500 new homes are planned for a greenbelt site close to Whickham Highway, where 4,000 people signed a petition against the original plans.

Families say the proposals will make the road even busier and cause more accidents, like the one yesterday. Helen Steel, 40, who works at West Farm Stables, near to where the girl was knocked over, said: “It’s a really bad road to cross. We have horses in both sites and it’s awful trying to get between them.

“About four years ago a car went through the hedge and into the arena, the driver was quite badly hurt.

“It’s a death trap and not the best place to cross.

“There should be some sort of camera on the road.

“The new houses are only going to make it worse and there will be even more traffic on the road.”

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “A 15-year-old girl suffered minor head injuries and other cuts and bruises. She has since been released from hospital.”